This invention is directed to the field of fishing lures, more particularly to a battery powered vibrating fishing lure providing water dynamics.
The present invention relates to a unique fishing lure of the type to simulate live fish bait to attract fish to be caught. The purpose of any fishing lure is to attract a fish by mimicking a creature which is a part of the normal diet of the fish, such as a worm, amphibian, or smaller fish. Among the expedients taught by the prior art are arrangements for producing sounds and vibrations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,552,730, to Miller, provides a leaf spring which vibrates when the fishing line is given a sudden jerk. Since the spring vibrates in the water, however, the vibrations are of only short duration and thus effective only if a fish is in the immediate vicinity of the lure at the instant the spring is put in motion. U.S. Pat. No. 2,909,863, to Rector et al., discloses a lure which produces a knocking or tapping sound, by means of a weight striking the walls of the hollow interior of the lure. The action of this lure depends upon movement of the lure through the water, and, consequently, results in an erratic tapping rather than uniform vibrations. A piezoelectric transducer powered by a transistorized oscillator circuit is utilized in the lure shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,757,475, to Pankove.
Further, plug-type lures having internal eccentric, vibrating or buzzing means for producing noise and lure vibration are known in the art. Typical of these lures is the Eccentric Motion Fishing Lure described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,012, to Maled, which includes a lure characterized by a hollow body which is caused to vibrate by a rotor, motor and battery combination located inside the body cavity. The battery is wired to the motor and drives an eccentrically mounted weight on the motor output shaft, which weight rotates and strikes the inside cavity of the body to produce vibration, motion, and sound. Another similar lure of the plug design is the Sonic Fishing Lure described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,902, to Godby, which lure includes a vibrating coil and breaker point system which are energized by a battery and activated by a switch means operated by tension applied to the connecting line. Buzzing or vibrating of the internal coil and breaker point system is accomplished by pulling or jerking the line to slidably displace the switch with respect to the lure body, and thus complete the electrical circuit.
More recent developments for vibrating lures are described in the further U. S. Patents, namely:
a.) U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,467, to Hodges, Jr. et al., teaches a vibrating fishing lure which includes a hollow body carrying at least one set of hooks and a coil and breaker point vibrator combination mounted in the hollow interior of the body. The vibrator is activated by an attitude sensitive switch and is powered by a battery. The battery is removably positioned in a cylindrically shaped carrier and sleeve located inside the hollow body with access to the battery provided by a water tight threaded cap.
b.) U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,132, to Atkinson, discloses a fishing lure having a water-tight cavity with a wire spring within the cavity, one end of the spring being rigidly affixed to the lure body and the opposite end carrying a weight. The relationship between the cavity size and the weighted spring is such that the spring will oscillate freely within the cavity without the weight striking the cavity walls during normal movement of the lure through the water. Alternate forms of the invention utilize an electronic oscillator driven transducer to produce vibration of the lure body.
c.) U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,339, to Fuentes et al., relates to a sonic fishing lure having an energy source, an electrical circuit, and a sonic transducer, where are each respectively contained within chambers of a generally hollow cylindrically-shaped fishing lure. Due to the construction of the fishing lure, the sound output from the fishing lure is of a greater intensity and is produced for a longer period of time than that of prior art devices. The sound output from a coil activator vibrating plate type of transducer is enhanced by the addition of a second vibrating plate. A fluid connection between the outer surface of the sound transducer and the body of the fishing lure further enhances and intensifies the sound output by the fishing lure.
d.) U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,574, to Ware, teaches a fishing lure for producing vibrations of a pre-determined frequency to attract fish. The fishing lure is provided with a streamlined body to substantially eliminate sound generating turbulence as the fishing lure is pulled through the water. The body is also provided with a shaft passing through the body to cause water passing through the shaft to generate vibrations of a pre-determined frequency known to attract fish. A hook is securely fastened to the body to reduce excess noise otherwise associated with the hook contacting the body.
e.) U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,492, to Watson et al., discloses a fishing lure having a battery-powered oscillator circuit positioned within a water-resistant container module that is removably inserted into a selected body module. The module is balanced to insure proper lure action even as fish-attracting sounds and motions are generated from the container module.
From the foregoing discussion it is clear that there have been many attempts at providing the ideal fishing lure for the many fishermen looking for the best means for attracting a fish. However, electrically powered fishing lures such as those discussed above suffer from inadequate water dynamics such as flashing that provides an intermittent reflection of natural light to further simulate a live bait. Furthermore, electrically powered fishing lures often suffer from inadequate vibration output.
Embodiments of the present invention address the problems of inadequate water dynamics by providing an electrically powered vibrating fishing lure that provides water dynamics such as enhanced flashing or surface plane vibration. Enhanced flashing provides intermittent reflection of natural light to simulate a live bait and attract fish. Embodiments may also provide increased surface plane vibration by placing a rotating weight that generates the vibration at the surface plane of the water to maximize the ripple created on the water""s surface and attract fish.
An embodiment of a vibrating fishing lure includes a lure body that has a cavity and a hook attached to the lure body. A battery is disposed within the cavity, and an eccentrically weighted electric motor is also disposed within the cavity. The electric motor is configured to impart vibrations to the lure body when receiving power from the battery, and the eccentric weighting is disposed within the lure body such that the eccentric weighting lies within a surface plane of water that the lure body floats upon.
Another embodiment of a vibrating fishing lure includes an elongate lure body that has a cavity and a longitudinal axis and a hook attached to the lure body. An elongate battery is disposed within the cavity and has a longitudinal axis that is substantially co-linear with the longitudinal axis of the lure body. An eccentrically weighted electric motor is also disposed within the cavity and is configured to impart vibrations to the lure body when receiving power from the battery. The eccentrically weighted electric motor has a longitudinal axis that is substantially co-linear with the longitudinal axis of the elongate battery and the elongate lure body.
An embodiment of a method of vibrating a fishing lure involves providing an elongate lure body having a cavity and a longitudinal axis. The method also involves providing an eccentrically weighted electric motor having a longitudinal axis co-linear with the longitudinal axis of the lure body and disposed within the cavity. The method further involves providing an elongate battery having a longitudinal axis co-linear with the longitudinal axis of the lure body and the electric motor and disposed within the cavity. The lure body is configured to float in water such that the eccentric weighting of the electric motor lies in a surface plane of the water. The eccentrically weighted electric motor is energized from the elongate battery to impart vibrations upon the lure body that are transferred to the water and to rotate the lure body about the longitudinal axis.